Man behind the Monitor: J. Dakar of Concrete Loop / Write State of Mind

2nd Installment of our weekly posts that will be coming your way. (the GOODIES just keep coming)

I've met so many great bloggers/podcasters/new media makers lately and I've decided to turn the tables and blog about them :)

Here is our PREMIERE Interview with Mr J Dakar of one of the most popular entertainment blog Concrete Loop


Man behind the Monitor: J. Dakar
Concrete Loop / Write State of Mind
http://www.writestateofmind.net
http://www.concreteloop.com
http://www.jdakar.com
Political/Commentary Contributor of Concrete Loop
He currently serves as political/commentary contributor for Concrete Loop, one of the most popular black entertainment blogs, offering social and political commentary with special emphasis on the 2008 presidential election.

Q: What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a blogger?

A: Traffic. Anyone can create a blog, but if no one is reading it or commenting on it, what's the point? For a while, I received very few hits and even fewer comments. It then hit me that I had begun writing for myself. I realized that I needed to appeal to my audience, and once I did that, I noticed an increase in both readers and comments.

Q: For aspiring bloggers, do you have any tips for growing their readers?

A: My only tip is that you should never give up. I've been blogging since 2001, had about twelve sites and endured, perhaps, at least three times that number of hiatuses from blogging. Fortunately, I have dedicated readers who commented on nearly everything I wrote (when I wrote), which really motivated me to continue writing. In doing so, I put myself out there more which really opened me up to new readers...and you never know who's reading what you're writing.


Q: How did you become affiliated with Concrete Loop?

A: Angel, Brian, Tianna and I frequented the 730 Forums (http://www.seventhirty.net/forums/) some time ago around 1999 or 2000, so I've known them all for quite some time. Once I began blogging, Angel read my work and continued to do so throughout the years. Last summer, she hit me up and asked if I'd be interested in writing for Concrete Loop. I, of course, said yes, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Q: As a political writer for Concrete Loop, do you feel that music ever transcends into your blogging in any way?

A: I listen to music while I write...well, while I do most things, actually. I love music: I wake up listening to music; I go about my day listening to music; I fall asleep listening to music and then I do it all over again the next day. Suffice it to say, yes, music does transcend into my blogging.

Q: Do you feel that Concrete Loop has increased your readers at Write State of Mind?

A: Absolutely! I have an audience at Concrete Loop that appreciates my work regarding social and political commentary and visit Write State of Mind for a more personal look at J. Dakar. I analyzed my site statistics recently and discovered nearly 42 percent of my incoming traffic comes from Concrete Loop.


Q: What can we expect from your upcoming site, JDakar.com?

A: When it launches in May, JDakar.com will be my personal site where I share my thoughts on the things I love most like books, film and music in addition to my take on news stories and a few pieces on activism so we can all do good and do well (DGADW). Unlike Write State of Mind, which focuses primarily on my writing with rather lengthy posts, JDakar.com will feature much shorter ones published throughout the day.